superannuated

/ˌsupɚˈænjuˌeɪtɪd/

//ˌsupɚˈænjuˌeɪtɪd// adj

"superannuated" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“superannuated” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Obsolete, antiquated.

Corpus desk

Index EN-superannuated · superannuated · English

superannuated · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for superannuated
PropertyValue
Headwordsuperannuated
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌsupɚˈænjuˌeɪtɪd/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “superannuated” in English

superannuatedsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

superannuated is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌsupɚˈænjuˌeɪtɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for superannuated in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the Latin superannuatus (“more than one year old”), from super (“over”) (English super-) + annus (“year”) (English annual). The correct English form is superannuated, spelled S-U-P-E-R-A-N-N-U-A-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Obsolete, antiquated.
  2. 2
    Retired or discarded due to age.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how superannuated appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In Europe it’s too dreary—the sapience, the solemnity, the false respectability, the verbosity, the long disquisitions on superannuated subjects.
  2. The above, appearing in a publication now long ago superannuated and forgotten, is all that hitherto has stood in human record to attest what manner of men respectively were John Claggart and Billy Budd.

Etymology

From the Latin superannuatus (“more than one year old”), from super (“over”) (English super-) + annus (“year”) (English annual).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "superannuated"?
"superannuated" is spelled S-U-P-E-R-A-N-N-U-A-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌsupɚˈænjuˌeɪtɪd/.
What does "superannuated" mean?
As an adjective, "superannuated" means: Obsolete, antiquated.
How do you pronounce "superannuated"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "superannuated" is /ˌsupɚˈænjuˌeɪtɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "superannuated"?
From the Latin superannuatus (“more than one year old”), from super (“over”) (English super-) + annus (“year”) (English annual). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list